By Bay City News Service
Police in San Mateo County arrested 12 people Friday during a tap operation to keep alcohol out of the hands of minors.
Officers from the Consumption of Alcohol Suppression Team participated in this statewide enforcement, arresting 12 adults who provided alcohol to minors, according to police.
Agencies in Brisbane, Broadmoor, Burlingame, Colma, Daly City, Pacifica, San Bruno, South San Francisco and the jurisdictions served by the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office participated in the operation.
A minor, under the supervision of an officer, stood outside a liquor or convenience store and would ask adults to buy alcohol, police said.
The minor would indicate to the adult that he or she is underage and cannot purchase the alcohol, according to police.
Any adult who agreed to purchase the minor alcohol was arrested after providing it, according to police.
The penalty to all 12 arrested adults was a minimum of $1,000 and 24 hours of community service.
The tap operation is intended to reduce the availability of alcohol to minors, who statistically have a higher rate of drunken driving crashes than adults, police said.
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